


Marbella, 1989

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [11]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action, Angst, F/M, Family Feels, Flirting, Marriage, Mystery, Romance, Sex, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:07:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29394534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEThe Doctor finally takes Rose to Marbella, 1989, and the find themselves stumbling across something that may or may not help them figure out their timeline, and protect their child.“Someone is in a good mood” he said smiling, brushing her hair off her cheek, and she shrugged.“You, me, in the TARDIS, why shouldn’t I be?” she sang, and he fell in love with her all over again.“Mmm, well...I love the TARDIS, too, but I know there’s some surprise coordinates on the console, if you -” he said, and she squealed a little before he could finish his sentence, running to the console and pulling the lever.About an hour later, after showers and a snack, they stepped off the ship.Marbella, 1989.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111892
Comments: 4
Kudos: 109





	1. 13 Weeks

Weeks mattered in a way they never did before.

He was typing coordinates into the console, his mind suddenly thinking of everything in terms of that arbitrary span of time. 

Seven days. 

A passing of sunrises and sunsets so quick he felt it all in a single blink. 

For nine lifetimes, it was a number that held little significance to him. But now, as his impossible human smiled at him from across the controls, he was acutely aware of how much power one week held, and it was taking his breath away. 

Two hundred and eighty of them had come and gone since he first took her hand. One hundred and sixty had flown by since the fixed point that led them to forever, and now they were one away from their second wedding anniversary. She had been pregnant for thirteen, and he knew that meant they only had around twenty-seven to go before there would be someone new on the TARDIS. 

A being in the universe who was, hopefully, a whole lot of her and maybe a little of him. Who was small and pink and yellow, with two strong hearts, and will one day call him ‘Dad.’ 

Weeks mattered. 

He saw her lips moving and he clenched his jaw, realizing he was so lost traveling down the timeline of their life together he didn’t hear her, and she was giving him a knowing smile, the hum in her head telling her all she needed to know as she stood and brushed her hand along the rim of the controls, looking at him like she was seconds away from kissing him. 

Seconds matter, too. 

Her lips found his softly, and he smiled, immediately wrapping her in a hug as she pressed his body against the metal, and he made a small noise. She pulled away, smiling at him, and he looked slightly dazed, licking her taste off of his mouth as she moved to examine the coordinates he had typed in, biting her lip. 

“What did you say?” he asked, his voice a little breathy. She just smiled. 

“I was asking if you noticed anything when I sat down, and then you just stared at me,” she said. He gave her a slightly sheepish smile, tugging on his ear and she just laughed. “Here.” 

She took her jacket off, revealing a simple blue tank, and he felt his word stop spinning. 

“You’re...showing,” he murmured, and he immediately locked eyes with her. She looked down at her belly, rubbing her hand along the seam of her joggers, where a small bulge was just starting to form. 

“A little, yeah,” she whispered. “Nothing too obvious, but I noticed in the shower this morning. Thought you should see, too.” 

“Rose…” he whispered. 

The spin of time was twisting beneath them, but he didn’t feel it. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and he swallowed hard and he watched her tuck her hair behind her ear, revealing her favorite hoop earrings, and he gripped the console to steady himself. 

It was a gesture he’d seen her do countless times, but she was rendering him speechless (a skill of hers he had never quite been able to understand,) and his eyes dropped to her belly. He placed a gentle hand over hers and he smiled, feeling the tangible proof of this life they had created for the first time beneath his fingertips, and he fought tears. 

“Hello,” he said, still smiling, and she rubbed her lips together as she looked at him, knowing he wasn’t talking to her. 

He kissed her, his hand still on her abdomen, and she cupped his cheek. Their mouths parted and clasped together a few more times, soul meeting soul as their heartbeats were rapid in their rings, and she pulled away, moving her body so she was standing in front of him and looked at him over her shoulder. She pressed her back against his chest as he wrapped her in a hug, leaving his hand where it was. 

The mother of his child. 

It was a rather arousing embrace, they both couldn’t deny that. His breath hit her skin, and he rubbed his thumb beneath her belly button. For the first time in the weeks since they found out she was pregnant, the impossible feeling that accompanied the news began to evolve just a little, and a new surge of emotions coursed through him. 

There was a protectiveness in his blood unlike anything he’d ever experienced before causing him to hold her closer. He placed a kiss on her shoulder, lingering for a moment before he trailed up her neck, finding his favorite spot and brushing his lips there once, then twice, then a third time. She shuddered, and he smiled, moving up and nibbling on her earlobe. 

The urge to keep them both safe at all costs was like a fire, all consuming and burning brightly. He almost let himself think about the fact that Jack and Mickey still hadn’t found anything about the diamonds, but he put that thought to the side for now as Rose said his name, and he kissed her again. 

And suddenly, in the midst of that river of fire, there was something more, and he found himself unable to stop kissing her. He moved his lips back to her shoulder, and she fell against him completely when her knees gave out and he held onto her through his kisses, that warm feeling he gave her coursing through her entire body. 

“Keep that up and we’ll never make it to wherever those coordinates go,” she whispered. 

“I don’t care,” he said. “This is more important.” 

She whimpered a little and he turned her around in his arms, catching her in a searing kiss, his hand finally departing her stomach to brush her breast and then cup her cheek, and she gasped. Their lips met again, and she felt him slip his hands under her tank, pulling it over her head, and when she looked back at him he was staring at her, noticing the small shape of her stomach without anything covering it up. He started to breathe a little heavier, captivated, and he truly, in this moment, thought he’d never wanted her more. 

She looked beautiful. 

“Get over here,” he said, pulling her toward him again as his kisses became more urgent, a trickle of that protective fire bleeding into them, and she melted into it, letting him do whatever the hell he wanted, the sensations he was giving her simply feeling too damn good. “Bedroom.” 

“Kay,” she said, and he hoisted her up, her entire body wrapped around his as he carried her to their bed, and they weren’t being careful or sweet anymore. He was desperately tearing off the many layers of his suit, once again thinking about switching up his wardrobe because the seconds he was wasting were bloody ridiculous, and her chest was heaving. He noticed that her breasts were rounder too, practically spilling out of her bra as she laid down, and he felt his breath catch. 

“You’re perfect,” he said, immediately laying atop her, both free of their garments, and he began to rub his hands up and down her body, his desire nearly too much, trying to process and unable to. “Oh, Rose, you’re so perfect…” 

“Doctor,” she whispered, able to feel how much he wanted her and it was turning into a puddle, and their minds connected, which just, well… 

He couldn’t have held back if he wanted to. 

He cried out and bit down on her shoulder, sliding their bodies together, and the electricity between them felt stronger than usual. It was almost blinding, and they both had to stop for a moment, until he realized what was happening. 

She had deepened their connection, somehow, and he stared at her. 

She wasn’t Time Lady...but she basically was. 

“Tell me if I hurt you,” he said huskily, and before she could respond he began to move against her, pounding and thudding as flesh slapped. It was primal almost, pure instinct, which for Rose meant something extra and she smiled, loving every moment, until she grabbed his hips. “I’m so-” 

“No,” she said, “Just helping.” 

He groaned, and she moved with him, her own _want_ intoxicating. As their breath synced and their hearts raced, they both found themselves crying out in pleasure, and he didn’t have a word to describe the sensations. Her name left his lips, brushing against her neck, and he felt her explode against him. 

He exploded too, but he wasn’t done. Not even close. 

He wanted to give her the universe, if she’d let him, and he wasn’t even sure what that meant at the moment. He just wanted...Oh, how he wanted…

She clawed at him and he started to move more slowly and carefully, a little afraid of hurting her. They shifted on the mattress, mirroring their embrace against the console, with her back to his chest, rocking in perfect harmony. 

“How long...Rose...How long... are you...going to stay with me?” he asked in her ear. 

“Forever,” she moaned, and their pace increased again. 

He murmured his love for her as he ran his hand along the curve of her waist, still trying to process this desire, but she was speaking in Gallifreyan back, telling him she loved him, too, and he stopped trying, letting her take him on her own rollercoaster of sensations. 

His wife. His best friend. His Woman of Time. 

Their minds were deeper and closer than ever before and he felt her buckle against his body again, then again, a double crescendo ringing through his body like a shockwave. He held her, the sounds leaving her lips prickling his skin with goosebumps and the shape of her mouth made him groan, and he buried his face in her neck, letting himself release with a cry. 

They both were dizzy when it ended, and her eyes were closed, unable to open them for a moment. They were catching their breath and he pressed his lips to her temple, their minds still tingly. He fought the urge to laugh, but it was inevitable. It started as a chuckle, he was simply feeling too bloody happy, and she had felt too damn good, and his mind was still tickling with hers and she was _here_ and he just… 

He began to laugh harder, and she laughed a little, too. 

“That was…” he said. 

“You’re telling me,” she hummed, and she finally found the strength to look over her shoulder, biting her lip at him and his mess of hair, and he rubbed his thumb on her cheek. 

“Did I mention I love you?” he said. 

“Once or twice,” she said, and he smiled at her. “I love you, too.”

They kissed again, a little sloppily, and she pulled back, her eyes still closed. “All that from a little bump in my belly, huh?” 

He just looked at her, knowing she was joking but unable to voice how he was feeling, and she just smiled because of course she knew. 

Marriage. 

“Something like that,” he whispered, and she turned in his arms so she was facing him, her eyes tracing his face. 

“Did you do that in our heads?” she whispered. 

“No,” he said, furrowing his brow. “I thought you did?” 

She shook her head and ran her hand through his hair, “Not on purpose anyway,” she said, and then she smiled at him, biting her lip. “Though it was rather incredible, wasn’t it?” He laughed a little and she suddenly sat up, propping her body up with her elbows as she flirted with her eyes, ready to banter or deduct, whichever he preferred. 

“What?” he asked, biting his cheek. She sighed thoughtfully. 

“Maybe it’s an anniversary gift. Some delayed reaction in my mind from your family. One final piece of Time.” 

She was giddy and his eyes danced with hers, a small smile curling on his lips, his own suspicious arising. “No, I…” he broke off, swallowing, and he reached for his sonic screwdriver which was somewhere on the floor. He grumbled when he couldn’t find it and she reached for hers, tucked carefully on her bedside table, and she handed it to him. 

“Good thing we have two,” she teased, and he just made a face at her as he took it, and scanned her. 

“How's your head?” he asked. She rolled her eyes. 

“It’s killing me,” she said. He sat up alarmed and she poked him, shaking her head. “Kidding. I’m fine, like always.” 

He sighed, almost saying jokes like that weren’t funny but he didn’t. Instead, he chose to flirt. “I meant...Are you dizzy from all of our hot and sweaty sex or can you walk?” he asked, winking at her. She flashed him her favorite smile. 

“I can walk,” she said, “What’re you worried about?” 

“Not worried,” he said, “Just...come with me.” 

They pulled on random clothes from the floor before they walked into the infirmary. He was just in his boxers and his Oxford, rather wrinkled now, and she was wearing her joggers and his undershirt, her tank still in the console room, and she rolled her eyes as she once again hopped up on the metal table, fully expecting him to run a full test. She even pulled the shirt up, anticipating the scanner but he surprised her and just took a small blood sample from her finger. She sat up as he waited by the monitor, and let out a breath. 

“You impossible human,” he said softly, almost with a sense of awe. His suspicions were confirmed and he knew he really, really shouldn’t be surprised by now, and yet he was. 

“What?” she asked, and he just looked at her, shaking his head with a smirk. 

“You’re doubling your Artron Energy,” he said. “Shouldn’t be possible.” 

“What’s that mean?” she said, and he smiled at her, looking over at the results again and sighing before moving to her and cupping her face in his hands. 

“Means our baby is safe,” he said. She smiled and he kissed her, a deep, loving kiss, and he pressed his forehead to hers as he pulled away. “They don’t teach this in the pregnancy books your mother insisted on giving us, Rose Tyler, and I’ll keep an eye on the levels, but I suspect…” 

“What?” she said, and he just clenched his jaw. 

“That you’ll pass the excess you’re creating onto them when they're born,” he murmured. His throat was incredibly tight, and he kissed her forehead, leaving his lips there as he spoke. “That’s, well...That’s what Time Ladies do.”

She smiled, her heart skipping a beat when he called her that, and she bit her lip. “So...wait, that means...regenerations?” 

“Will be possible, yeah. Still don’t know if they’ll be born with them, I won’t know until I can check their blood for Huon Cells, but...” he said, trailing off. 

He was silent for a moment, rubbing his hand over his face, and she grabbed his hand. 

“Doctor, this is good,” she said, sensing he was feeling a little overwhelmed. He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and he hugged her. 

He knew after the last couple of years they’ve had that Rose understood the intricacies of this energy and the way it courses through her brain. He knew she knew how important it is that it lives dormant in her blood, waiting for the day she needs to activate it. He knew she knew the way it gave her the ability to become Bad Wolf. To create herself. To scatter the words in space and time and lead them where she needed to go. To save the universe. 

He suddenly thought of the cube, sitting in that locked room, and he sighed. 

“We’ve been so busy, I almost forgot,” he muttered, and she looked at him. “The Eye of Discord.” 

She squeezed his hand. “I can’t even begin to think about that right now. It’s safe with us.” 

“I know,” he murmured. “I just...I don’t want it here when they’re born. I don’t...I can’t have it on board with them, Rose. Just….” 

He wasn’t panicking or dwelling yet, but if she didn’t stop this he might start, and she bit her lip. 

“Okay,” she said, rubbing her thumb on his hand. “Remember like thirty seconds ago when we discovered our baby is safe? Let’s focus on that, yeah?” 

He laughed and pulled away, smiling at her. “Quite right.” 

“We’ll find a way to get rid of it. We will. But we can’t get ahead of ourselves. The here and now, yeah? We just have to trust that -” she began, and he brushed his thumb along her lips. 

“I know,” he said. “I do.” 

“Diamonds first, okay?” she said. He took a deep breath. 

“Whatever your Instincts say,” he murmured. “I know better than to question that by now.” 

“It could be all this Artron Energy, I think I’m just too good,” she joked with a wink, and he smiled at her, shaking his head, wondering if she remembered the last time she’d said those words to him and if she knew where he was planning on taking her today, or if this too was Instincts. 

He had a feeling it was Instincts. 

“Someone is in a good mood” he said smiling, brushing her hair off her cheek, and she shrugged. 

“You, me, in the TARDIS, why shouldn’t I be?” she sang, and he fell in love with her all over again. 

“Mmm, well...I love the TARDIS, too, but I know there’s some surprise coordinates on the console, if you -” he said, and she squealed a little before he could finish his sentence, running to the console and pulling the lever. 

About an hour later, after showers and a snack, they stepped off the ship. 

Marbella, 1989.


	2. Museum of Impossible

The sun was high in the sky, wrapping around them like a warm blanket. 

She wore a sundress and tights and he was dressed in a cream colored linen suit, one he usually reserved for their villa, but today felt like a special day. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to take her here today, but the northern voice in his head just wouldn’t shut up about it, and he figured he ought to listen. 

He was rather good at rambling. 

She smiled up at him and he winked, looking up at the pure blue sky and cotton candy clouds, fluffy and white. 

“I knew we’d make it eventually,” he mumbled, and she laughed, holding his hand as they began to walk forward, the sound of waves ebbing and flowing and seagulls cawing above them. “We seem to spend an inordinate amount of time by the ocean, don’t we?” 

“Oh, I dunno,” she said, “I like it.” 

They looked at each other, the fixed point that led them to forever flashing in their minds again, and he smiled. 

“Me too,” he hummed, leaning down to kiss her. 

As per usual, as they milled about the city, he talked a thousand miles a minute, and she just listened adoringly, looking at everything he pointed out as they passed by. The architecture felt similar to the villa in some ways. The stone walls were all cream and white, almost matching his suit, and like the villa there were hints of oranges and blues, and tall tropical trees waved in the breeze near the water. 

The pathways were sand in some places and stone in others. Twinkle lights, currently turned off in the sun, were draped across the alleyways and over picnic tables, and Rose could only imagine how glorious it all must look at night. The people they met were friendly, the TARDIS translating in their heads for them perfectly, and she smiled widely as mopeds rolled by. Dogs were barking at them, and they eventually made their way to what the Doctor called “Old Town,” where she saw more people drinking cuppas outside of cafes, most of them in linen clothes as well. 

It was truly breathtaking, and Rose was smiling at him. 

“Traveling with you, I love it,” she murmured, and he pulled her into a kiss.

They exuded love and joy, as they usually do, and it caused quite a few people to stare at them as they laughed and held hands. He couldn’t possibly care what anyone thought, not when she was looking at him in the way she was. 

He grabbed some pastries for them to enjoy as they sat outside in the salty breeze, and Rose was very happy her body wasn’t rejecting them. She was looking around, still marveling over how similar to Herra this place was, and her mind was wandering a bit. 

_They were fiddling with plugs, twisting and tugging, and he was tapping his knee ever so slightly. It was a gesture she’d never seen him do before, not in the year they had been traveling together, and it made her stomach twist._

_“As soon as the TARDIS lands, in that second, I become part of the events. Stuck in the timeline,” he said._

_“Yeah, thought it’d be something like that,” she replied, playing with her plug. There was a moment where neither spoke, and she looked at him briefly, seeing the vein in his neck pulse just a little, as if he was debating his next sentence._

_“There’s another thing the TARDIS could do…” he said, breaking off for a moment, and she glanced up, his next words making her think that maybe, just maybe, she meant more to him than he’d let on._

“This was meant to be a date, wasn’t it?” she asked. 

“Course it was!” he said, his mouth a little full. “Lots to see and do.” She just bit her lip. 

“Not now, I meant…” she said, and his smile faltered just a bit as he looked at her, before he turned his attention to the fluffy clouds, following them with his eyes as they gently shifted in the sky. 

“I thought I might lose you,” he murmured. “I s’pose it would have been. Mostly it was...well….” 

He looked down and she didn’t say anything. She took a bite of her pastry, the flaky crust melting in her mouth the moment it hit her tongue and leaned her head against his shoulder, also watching the clouds. He felt butterflies fill his stomach when she touched him, a sensation he knew would never go away no matter how long they may have together, and he bit his cheek before he kissed her forehead. 

“Why here?” she asked. 

“First place I thought of,” he said. She just looked at him, and he was clenching his jaw a little, taking a deep breath. “Reminds me of the villa.” 

“Me too,” she said. “I was thinking, maybe, that might be…” 

“Yeah,” he told her, reflecting. He wasn’t upset that she was asking. He supposed he should have expected that she would, and he smiled when her hand slid into his. “I was scared, Rose. And the villa is what I thought about. My safe haven, but, well...We couldn’t go there so I thought about here, and then... when that didn’t work out I thought of Barcelona, which...” 

He was finding words hard to form and she looked at him, remembering how much Barcelona reminded her of Herra as well. She watched him take a bite of his pastry, still looking at the clouds, and she realized just how much comfort he needed that day on Satellite 5. 

“It’s lovely,” she said. He clenched his jaw again and swallowed, and wrapped his arm around her, still reflecting. 

“I would have done it, you know,” he whispered. “If you’d asked.” 

“I know,” she murmured. “But then we wouldn’t be here.” 

He looked at her, watching as she smiled at him and rubbed her stomach, and he felt his throat tighten. 

“No, we wouldn’t, would we?” he said softly, letting hazel galaxies swirl with chocolate for a moment. He kissed her, his hand moving to her stomach, too, and he smiled. “We, Rose Tyler, had to let history take its course, didn’t we? Impossible things and all.” 

“Oh, I love impossible things,” she whispered, and he made a happy noise, tossing his pastry to the side as he pulled her closer to him, kissing her again, then again, ignoring the whistles a stranger was making as his hands wrapped themselves in her hair. 

He eventually pulled away, and he held his hand out, smiling as they began to walk more, continuing to explore. 

He was high on love and his boisterous self was peeking through, speaking quickly and bouncing next to her, excited by everything they passed. 

“Human beings,” he said, pointing to a man juggling bowling pins on a unicycle, and Rose laughed. “Brilliant!” 

They got some actual food at a restaurant that faced the water, holding hands and flirting, laughing like idiots and ignoring the other customers when they shot them some glares for being too loud. They simply made faces at each other to make fun of them, which just made them laugh more. 

He loved her so much it took his breath away. 

He told her about his first time there, in his third regeneration, when he discovered that Time Lords do in fact sunburn after he had fallen asleep on the sand. 

She told him about her first time at the beach when Mickey got swept up in a wave and she dove in and saved him while her mother screamed at her, pulling him out the water just before the tide came in. He stared at her, taking a bite of cake they had ordered following their lunch. 

“How old were you?” he asked. 

“I dunno, eight?” she said. He just laughed. “What?” 

“Nothing,” he said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “Just imagining a little you lifting Mickey over your head.” 

“What? He was only eleven or so, he was easy to carry,” she said. He just raised his eyebrow at her, smirking, and she gave him a playful look. “He was a skinny kid. Not as skinny as you, but still -” 

She laughed as he feigned offense, and they just looked at each other. 

“Hit me where it hurts why don’t you,” he said, smiling at her, and she just flashed him her favorite smile. “We didn’t have a beach on Gallifrey.” 

“Really?” she asked, her heart rate increasing slightly, as it always does when he opened up. She took a bite of cake and he just shook his head. 

“No,” he said. “We were a metropolis. There was a river, but no beach.” 

She just looked at him as they both took another bite, and he let out a deep breath. 

“How’d you learn to swim, then?” she asked, not sure if he wanted to keep talking about home or not. He just rolled his eyes. 

“We had _water,_ Rose,” he said with a small smile. “Lessons.” 

“My mum’s lesson consisted of shoving me into the community pool when I was five and letting me figure it out,” she said, and his eyes widened. 

“She did not!” he said, horrified. Rose just laughed. 

“I mean, she was there the whole time in case I _didn’t,_ but yeah, she just trusted me, I guess,” she said. The Doctor shook his head. 

“Our kid is getting proper swimming lessons,” he said seriously. “Your mother is not allowed to come. TARDIS pool, it’ll be perfect.” 

“Okay,” she said, smiling at him. “Can we get little floaties for their arms?” 

“Those give kids a false sense of security in the water, Rose Tyler, we -” he began, and she just bit her lip as her eyes danced with his, and he sighed. “Fine. But just know I have a very special and very effective way of teaching them how to swim.” 

“I’m sure you do,” she said, and he smiled at her. “I will be utterly useless.” 

“You could never be useless,” he said, reaching out and holding her hand. A moment passed, and he just took her in, taking a deep breath. “How’re you feeling?” 

“Great,” she said, and he kissed her hand. “Full. You want the rest?” 

He winked as he took the last bite of the cake and called the waiter over, paying their bill before he stood and grabbed her hand, leading her back outside. 

They continued to walk down the path until they found the arts district, where there were theaters and museums and cultural centers, and Rose smiled. He thought of taking her to see a show, but they had such bad luck with going to plays he just sniffed and turned his attention to one of the other venues, and his face broke out into a huge grin. 

He said a sentence in Spanish, and Rose looked over in the direction he was, realizing he had read the words on the sign above two red doors on the building across from them. 

“What’s it say?” she asked, and he winked. 

“The Museum of the Impossible,” he said with a wag of his eyebrows. “Not kidding.” 

“No way,” she said, and he just made a happy sound, bouncing a little on his feet. 

“You want to go?” he asked. 

“I think we have to, don’t we?” she said, flashing him his favorite smile and he laughed, knowing he didn’t need to ask her twice as they made their way toward the front doors. When they walked inside, they saw oak floors and white walls, and there were large groups of people milling about the lobby. They both noticed titanium doors along the main wall and he furrowed his brow a little, wondering why they were necessary, but Rose tugged on his arm, leading him toward a woman sitting behind a check in desk. They stood in line, smiling at her as they walked up. She smiled back, quite friendly and excited so many people were there. 

“Hello,” she said. “Two?” 

“Yes,” the Doctor said. “What is this place?” 

“Museum of the Impossible,” she said. “It’s a traveling educational exhibit,” the woman said. They both noticed her accent was from Yorkshire, even though they were in Spain, and Rose felt her wheels start to turn a little. 

“What’s inside?” she asked, and the woman just laughed. 

“Oh, you’ll see. You’d never believe me if I told you,” she said. “What are your names?” 

“The D-” he began, but Rose let her Instincts lead and she interrupted. 

“James and Rachel McKinnon,” she said, and the Doctor looked at her, his own wheels turning alongside his wife. They were curious, more than anything, and the woman nodded politely, writing them down in a ledger. 

“Well, admission is five pesetas each,” she said. The Doctor reached in his pocket, sharing a knowing glance with Rose. The TARDIS, after the parallel world, started lining his pockets with money whenever they needed it, finding it utterly ridiculous he still made Rose pay for everything, and he handed the coins to the woman. She then handed him the ledger. 

“Sign here, please. By doing so you agree not to take any photographs or touch any of the displays.” 

“Fair enough,” he said, and he quickly signed, sliding the ledger back to her. “Why the titanium doors?” 

“Part of the exhibit, sir,” she said with a smile, and they moved away when she quickly turned her attention to the people behind them. 

Rose noticed a clock on the wall that read 2:57pm, and she realized the doors must open at once and they were all going in as a group. She quickly found out she was right, as the doors opened at 3pm sharp, and they all stepped forward into a room that felt like another world entirely. 

When the twist and pull of time began to spin under their feet, they both realized that’s exactly what happened.

“It’s a spaceship, the doors were a teleport,” he murmured. The both looked around for a moment, noticing everything was _charcoal._ Not literally, he didn’t think, though he did lick the wall just to make sure, earning a glare from Rose. He suppressed a laugh and continued to look around. The floor was dark, the walls were dark, and the design of the room made a sharp ‘A’ shape, the way it does on most vessels they’d been on.

The other guests who seemed entirely unphased, rushing forward and looking at the pictures on the wall. Rose turned around, staring at the titanium doors. 

“Can we get back out?” she asked, and they both took out their screwdrivers and scanned. 

“Looks like it, long as the teleport is active,” he said softly, and they shared another glance, their curiosity only growing. “There’s a Vortex Manipulator somewhere. Can you feel it?” 

“Yeah,” she murmured, and he smiled a little. “Least they’re not Space Pirates.”

“Well,” he said, “Not that we know of.” 

They watched the guests talk excitedly among themselves, and he looked down at her, placing a hand on her belly. “Promise me you’ll be careful?” 

“You know I love this kid too, right?” she teased, her tongue back where it usually was. His face fell, shock lining his eyes and he just cupped his hands to her cheeks. 

“Rose, of course, I didn’t mean -” he said, and she just smiled and kissed him. 

“Teasing you,” she whispered. “I promise. Come on.” 

The ship was confusing him a little. He sniffed, wondering why no one had tried to leave this first room, when suddenly a set of hidden doors in front of them opened, and a woman walked out. 

Applause was heard immediately, and it made Rose’s Instincts wake up entirely. She gripped the Doctor’s hand, not feeling uneasy, but definitely feeling _something._

Curiosity. 

“Welcome, everyone, to Kosmos 6!” the woman shouted, also with a Yorkshire accent. She wore a microphone over her ear and smiled, clasping her hands in front of her as the crowd continued to applaud. “Or, as we like to call it on Earth, the Museum of Impossible!” 

Everyone cheered, and Rose and the Doctor listened intently, not yet alarmed but definitely on guard. The woman, about thirty-five, was smiling widely, wearing a pencil skirt and shoulder pads. Her hair was permed and tucked up of her shoulders, and Rose’s instincts told her even on this spaceship, it was still 1989. 

“We are so thrilled you are all here. Taking this exhibit to Spain has been on our bucket list for a year now, and we can’t wait to introduce all of you to some of the most amazing parts of the universe. The **Impossible,** ” she said. “On behalf of all of us at the Kosmos Society, we thank you for your generosity and support as we continue to expand the minds of mankind, and further our knowledge of Time and Space. As a reminder, please no photography of any kind, and please do not touch _anything._ Follow me.” 

“Don’t like that,” the Doctor said flatly, and Rose just bit her lip. 

“She reminds me of Michelle,” she muttered, and the Doctor sniffed, clenching his jaw. 

“Let’s hope not,” he said, and more doors slid open behind the woman. She gestured inside and said hello to everyone as they passed by her, chatting excitedly, some with eager children. The Doctor and Rose hung back, wanting to be last in case they decided they needed to drift away from the group and they locked eyes with the woman. 

“What’s your name?” Rose asked with a smile, and the woman just laughed. 

“Angela,” she said. “Welcome, welcome.” 

The Doctor’s Adam’s apple bobbed as they found themselves in a new room. There was a screen on all sides around them, and Angela walked to the middle of the crowd, telling everyone to enjoy a short welcome video. 

“Hello,” a voice said. “My name is Copernicus.” 

The Doctor smirked when an actor dressed up as the scientist appeared on the screen, looking directly at them. 

“I am responsible for the shifting revelation that the Sun, not the Earth, is at the center of our universe. I was born... “ 

The actor delved into a long monologue recapping Copernicus’ life, and the Doctor found himself rather bored, wishing he and Rose were talking to the actual man, whom he knew threw a wicked party with strong wine (not that she could have any at the moment) and would talk their ears off. Rose smirked and leaned her head on his shoulder, thinking that sounded like fun as the video shifted, and another historical figure appeared. 

“Good day,” the actor said, “My name is Sir Issac Newton. I am responsible for the Laws of Motion, among other things, and I helped determine…” 

He continued his lecture, recapping all of Newton’s many accomplishments, and Rose noticed it was a speech clearly designed for kids. It didn’t go into too much detail, and it felt like it was just trying to give the basic information as clearly and swiftly as possible. The video did the same with Johannes Kepler and Albert Einstein, until Stephen Hawking appeared on the screen, and this time it wasn’t an actor, but the real person, and the Doctor perked up. 

“Hello,” he said. “My name is Stephen Hawking. I am responsible for the theory that black holes can emit radiation. I was born…” 

He continued to speak, a little shorter than the others, and the room applauded when he was done. Rose glanced over at Angela, who was already leading people away from the room, clearly excited for the first part of their exhibit. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” she said. “As you’ve just seen, the thirst to understand our place in the universe has been a question that has haunted mankind for centuries, probably longer. Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Hawking...They are just some of the brilliant minds who stayed curious and kept searching, and that is what we hope to inspire in all of you today. Behold.” 

She pressed a button, and the Doctor and Rose both squinted when they saw the moon resting before them, so close they could see the lines inside each crater, and the Doctor realized they weren’t on a ship, but a satellite. 

His hearts started to pound a little, and Rose was tracing her tongue with her lip. 

“You know, five and a half years and this is our first trip to the moon,” she murmured. 

“That can’t be true,” he said, and she just smiled at him. 

“We’ve been to lots of _other_ moons, but not Earth’s. Just saying, it would be fun to watch Neil Armstrong run across that thing one day,” she said. He kissed her forehead. 

“If we stay hidden, it’s a date,” he said, winking. She smiled, looking back at Angela. They both still felt more curious than anything else as nothing had outwardly alarmed them, but her Instincts were telling her there was more to this place than just an educational tour, and she scanned the room, deducting. 

The Doctor listened to Angela, who was explaining the moon is full of things that seem impossible, but are actually quite true and quite spectacular. She explained how the moon shows the same face to Earth each day, how it controls the tides of the ocean, how it was created when a rock hit the Earth. 

There was a joyfulness about Angela that was making Rose ease a bit the longer she spoke, but they both stayed alert as she stopped talking, letting the guests walk around the room and learn more about the moon. “Now, please don’t touch, but you are welcome to look around at the samples set up on these tables,” she said. 

The Doctor and Rose moved to the window, their eyes trailing the craters and silver hue. 

“It’s remarkable, isn’t it?” Angela asked, moving to stand next to them. 

“Yes,” the Doctor said. “How do you get us here?” 

He was playing dumb, Rose knew, trying to get as much informtaion out of Angela as he could without having to interrogate. She just smiled. 

“I’m just a guide,” she said. “But I know it's all technology developed by the Kosmos Society.” 

“Who’s that?” the Doctor asked, and Angela laughed. 

“Where have you been living, a rock?” she said, and the Doctor just looked at her. Her smile faltered a bit and she cleared her throat. “Sorry.” 

“We travel a lot, must have missed the papers,” Rose said, and Angela just looked at her.

“You’re both from England?” she said. “This exhibit is usually near Cambridge. Why come all the way to Spain?” 

“We didn’t know it was there,” the Doctor said. “Like she said, we travel a lot for work. We stopped in Marbella for a quick holiday before we went back to London.” 

Angela just smiled. “Well, happy to have you.” 

“Who are they, though?” Rose said, “the Society?”

“Scientists,” Angela said. “Brilliant ones.” 

They were about to ask her more, but a child came up to her with a question about the moon rocks and she gave them a small smile, excusing herself as she went to help them. Rose looked at the Doctor and turned around, watching all the people as they happily viewed all the stations and samples, and Rose sighed. 

“No droids,” she said. “No mind control. No aliens. No hullabaloo.” 

“What do you know about hullabaloo?” he said, winking, and she laughed “It does seem rather normal, doesn’t it?” 

“Well, minus the whole teleporting onto a satellite thing,” she said, and he smirked at her. 

They stayed in that room for another moment, before Angela moved to a large door, leading them into the next part of the exhibit. They all walked through carefully, and they found themselves in a room with a projection of the Milky Way above their heads. The Doctor stared at it, noticing that all of Jupiter’s moons were included, as were all the nebulas, and he found himself smiling. 

“It’s perfect,” he said, impressed, and Rose just looked at it with him. 

“Can I tell you what I know?” she said, pointing up, and he just looked at her, his groin pulsing just a little. 

“Take it away,” he said, their eyes dancing as she looked up and moved closer to him, speaking so softly her breath tickled his ear with each word. 

“All the planets, of course, but that’s obvious. If you travel 6,523 lightyears that way -” 

“That way?” he asked, his eyes lingering on her lips. She brushed her tongue against the bottom one and smiled. 

“No wait, that way,” she said, correcting herself, and he felt his groin pulsing much more now, almost to dangerous levels he’d have trouble hiding as he traced her face with his eyes. 

“That way?” he repeated, and she bit her lip. 

“Yeah, that way…” she murmured, and then looked back at the projection. “You’ll find the crab nebula. It’s older than you, mister.” 

“Is it?” he said, and she smiled, both completely unaware of what Angela was saying. 

“If you go that way a bit farther... You see that bright star?” she asked, and he bit his cheek as he followed her finger, knowing exactly what she was about to tell him. “That’s Sirius, or the Dog Star. Besides the sun, it’s the brightest thing in the galaxy.” 

“No it’s not,” he whispered, and she looked at him. 

“Yes it is,” she said, “It goes Sirius, then Canopus, Arcturus -”

He kissed her, impossibly in love with her as his tongue darted into her mouth as his arms wrapped securely around her waist. Some people who were standing near them averted their eyes as he kissed her again, his passion getting the better of him for a moment before he pulled away, leaving her a little flushed and breathless, and he looked her in the eye, swallowing hard. 

“Brightest thing in the universe is you, Rose Tyler,” he said. “Don’t care how sappy that sounds. It’s true.” 

She smiled at him, confirming his words as the room felt infinitely more whole when she did. The light from the projection was dancing on her cheeks, and for a moment he forgot where they were, and all he could think about was how beautiful she was, as the lights of the stars, pretend of not, reflected her skin like they were meant to be. 

“I love you so much,” she whispered, and he beamed at her, his own smile fairly bright as well. 

“Love you,” he murmured, and they kissed for a moment longer, until the door behind Angela opened, and she led everyone out of this room into the next. “Guess we’ll never know what was so impossible here, will we?” 

“I have a few ideas,” she said, and they laughed for a moment as they stepped through the door, and stopped in their tracks.


	3. The Puzzle is Just the Edge

“Now,” Angela said. “I know what you’re all thinking. This is just a clock.” 

The Doctor held Rose’s hand, staring at a large, round wall clock that took up the entire back of the room. The hands were frozen, and the clock was locked at 12:34, staring at them. The Doctor felt his brow crease as he and Rose stepped forward, filtering in around all the other people. 

“Time is the most impossible thing we’ll see today,” Angela said. “Space is full of dark abysses and brilliant stars, potential beyond our wildest dreams. Space, as we just saw, is all impossible facts waiting to be discovered, the way Professor Hawking did with black holes or Sir Issac Newton did with velocity.” 

The Doctor noticed a man sitting by the clock, reading a paper and smoking a pipe, and he watched him as Angela finished her speech. “So much of Space, so much of science, has a set of rules and laws that we can learn and understand. Things scientists have deduced for us, and it makes our understanding of the universe flow. The exception to this, some might argue, is time. Time, the Kosmos Society argues, is non-linear. And we as a society have been forced to come up with our own set of rules, rather than embrace time for what it is. Unconventional. Take a look around, and our final journey will begin in five minutes.” 

Rose moved to the man instantly, the Doctor at her heels, and she sat on the bench next to him just under the clock. 

He looked about forty-five, give or take a few years, but he didn’t glance up at them, he stayed focused on his paper and pipe, and Rose looked him over carefully. 

“Do you believe in the Gregorian calendar?” she whispered, and the Doctor’s eyes widened, realizing what she already had as the man looked up, and he stared at them, stunned. 

“Oh, my God,” he said, and Rose smiled. 

“Hi, Patrick,” she said. 

He set his pipe down along with his paper and stood, awkwardly hugging her. Their last encounter was vivid in all their minds and he wasn’t sure if they were happy to see him so he laughed a little, and then looked at the Doctor, who just nodded, and they briefly shook hands. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked. Rose bit her lip. 

“Just traveling, came across all of this,” she said. “We had no idea what it was. Is this all your doing?” 

He smiled at them, and the Doctor was still feeling a little conflicted looking at him, impressed at all he had created and trying to convince himself there was no malice in these displays. If anything, it all seemed to just be an educational tool, and both he and Rose could tell they took safety very seriously, but the Eye of Discord flashed through his mind and he sighed. 

He wasn’t entirely convinced he’d learned his lesson. 

Patrick looked over at Angela and nodded, and she started to gather all the people, leading them back toward the main clock. He turned to Rose and the Doctor, a gleam in his eye, and he just shrugged sheepishly. 

“I have to make a speech, and you should see the last room, it’s lovely, but please don’t go through the teleports yet, I would love to show you more,” he said, and the Doctor just nodded, wanting to find out what all this was himself in case they needed to shut it down. Patrick smiled and moved to the clock, and Rose and the Doctor stepped back, watching as he smiled at the crowd. 

“Hello,” he said. “My name is Patrick Townes, and I am the Founder of the Kosmos Society. As many of you know, I started this organization as a way to put my theories out into the world of science when they were being rejected by quite literally everyone. They still are, in many ways, but your support and contribution to furthering knowledge is the only way we will advance as a society, which is why I chose the name I did. I believe in Time.” 

He looked at the Doctor and Rose, and the Doctor felt his stomach tighten, until he heard his next words, “And I truly believe it is the most impossible and wonderful construct ever created. And it’s so much more than we could ever begin to imagine. I know it is bigger than all of us. Time and Space are so delicately related, and if the images you’ve seen today aren’t enough to convince you of that, I don’t know what is. If you take anything away from your experience today, I hope its -” 

Rose’s Instincts made her turn around, just as a loud gunshot was heard. Before she could understand what was happening, the Doctor pulled her down and was covering her body with his as everyone started to scream. He looked over his shoulder at Patrick, who had been hit with a bullet, his blood splattered along the face of the clock. Another shot was fired, then another, warning shots into the air, and Rose looked over at a person in a black hood, running away. 

“Stay here,” the Doctor told her urgently, and he started to chase after the figure. 

“DOCTOR!” she screamed, but he was already halfway down the hall. 

Everyone was screaming and crying and Rose ran to Patrick, placing her hands over his heart, slapping his face a little. “Patrick, wake up, come on,” she said, and she activated her energy, desperately trying to heal his wound, but it sizzled out on her hands and she closed her eyes, knowing it was too late. She wasn’t breathing, and she opened her eyes again and looked around, seeing the bullet currently sitting on the floor behind him as it pierced through his whole body, and she felt hot tears spill over as she looked back at him, not sure if it was anger or fear that was making her cry. 

The face of the clock was reflecting in his pool of blood. 12:34. 

She suddenly felt her own storm start to brew. 

Anger. 

She moved to Angela immediately, grabbing her arm. “Get everyone out of here. Now.” 

“I…” she said, but she was trembling, and Rose realized she was in shock. She let her Instincts lead her as she moved into the final room, her heart in her ears, ignoring the brilliant sight of Earth from this angle on the satellite and moved to the front room again. The entire tour had been one large circle, and she marched to the teleports, scanning them to make sure they were turned on. 

“EVERYONE OUT!” she screamed, and she began to usher everyone through, hearing a small popping sound that told her people were going back to 1989 as if nothing had happened, and she continued to yell and push people to the doors, keeping an eye out for the black hood or her husband, whose mind was still open to her. His heartbeat was rapid in her ring, and she knew he was still running. She took a deep breath when she saw the same child who asked Angela for help before sobbing in his mother’s arms. “Go, hurry, you’re alright.” 

Finally, the room was empty and Rose looked over her shoulder, where Angela was standing in shock in the doorway. She grabbed her shoulders, her eyes looking at her face carefully. “Are you okay?” 

“Is he dead?” she whispered, and Rose just nodded, pulling her into a hug. 

“I’m sorry,” she said. Angela just let out a sob, and Rose rubbed her back, feeling guilty for ever equating her to Michelle Ridgemont in that moment. 

She felt relief course through her when she saw the Doctor run in, and he moved to her instantly. 

“They got away,” he mumbled. “I found the Vortex Manipulator, I think they…” 

Rose just nodded and swallowed hard, and he looked at Angela who was sobbing wildly now, her emotions getting away from her and she had to collapse to the ground. Rose went with her, pulling her into a hug with her head on her shoulder and the Doctor watched with a tight throat, clenching his jaw. 

“I’ll go get him,” he whispered. Rose shook her head. 

“No,” she said. “They should call the police. Handle it properly.” 

He stared at her, seeing how pale she had gotten, and he knelt down next to both of them. “Angela, do you live in Yorkshire?” he asked. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes. 

“No, Cambridge. Just from there….Penny lives with me, from the front desk...She’s my sister,” she whispered. 

She broke off in a new sob and Rose looked at the Doctor who was swallowing hard again, and she let out a breath. 

“We’ll take you home,” Rose said, “Come on.” 

She helped Angela stand, who wasn’t fully processing their words, crossing through the teleports back into the main lobby. The police were already there, apparently called by one of the other visitors and Rose knew they would have to stay for a while. She took control comforting Angela and Penny while the Doctor went back in with the officers, explaining what happened from his perspective as EMTs brought a stretcher in, walking out twenty minutes later with Patrick’s body wrapped in a white cloth, and Angela and Penny both broke down all over again. 

Rose, despite the mix of emotions she was feeling and unable to process, was determined to hold it together while she was around them, and her eyes locked with the Doctor’s as he walked back through the titanium doors, pulling her into a hug. 

“Are you alright?” he whispered. 

“I don’t know,” she said. “Can’t think like that right now.” 

He looked at her, his eyes searching her face and she blinked away a few tears, clearing her throat. “Angela, Penny, come on. We’ll take you home.”

“How can I leave him?” Angela said, and Rose just closed her eyes, her mind remembering an orange jumpsuit for some reason. 

The Doctor squeezed her hand, swallowing hard. 

“Do you have a way home otherwise?” she asked softly, and Penny looked at her, shaking her head. 

“We used the Satellite to get here,” she whispered. “I don’t know how it works.” 

“Then let us help you,” Rose whispered. “You can hold my hand if you want to.” 

Penny nodded and said something under her breath to Angela, who had stopped crying and seemed a little numb, and the Doctor sniffed as he pushed the doors open, leading all them back across the entire city toward the TARDIS. There was music playing and the sun was going down. The twinkle lights were starting to illuminate their pathways, but Rose couldn’t look at it, her hand just rested on her stomach as she held Penny with her other one, who was holding onto Angela, and the Doctor kept looking over at her, trying to see how she was doing. 

_I’m fine._

He sighed and they kept walking until they eventually reached the ship. The Doctor just snapped his fingers, helping Rose bring Penny and Angela on board, and they stopped three steps in, their jaws trembling. 

“You’re the Doctor and Rose aren’t you?” Angela asked. Rose just nodded, managing to close the door behind them as the Doctor crossed to the console, bringing them to the Vortex. “He talked about you. Said you changed his life.” 

“Well…” the Doctor said, his jaw clenching. “Come in, it's okay.” 

They didn’t say anything about how the ship was bigger on the inside, and Rose assumed Patrick must have told them about that fact in the past. The Doctor kept them company, finding out exactly where they lived as Rose stopped by the loo and then stepped into the galley, bringing everyone some tea. 

“Thank you,” Angela said as she took a mug from her. Penny took one as well and she gave one to the Doctor, who kissed her head. “Why were you there?” 

“What we said. Traveling,” Rose mumbled. No one said anything for a moment, and Rose watched Angela sip her tea slowly as Penny just stared at her feet. “Who was he to you?” 

“Good friend,” Angela said. “I worked with him for a few years.”

“With his company?” Rose asked, and Angela nodded.

“His father… I dunno,” she said, sighing. “He was a scientist, too. He was a researcher at some facility. He loved space, almost as much as Patrick. I started as a secretary at the building the office was located in. We’d get coffee some days. Then he hired me...” 

Angela just sighed and shook her head, and Penny was the one who spoke. 

“They were together,” she said, and Rose took a deep breath, watching the way Angela buried her face in her hands. The Doctor rubbed Rose’s back and looked at the controls, and Angela wiped her eyes, her head throbbing. 

“I’m glad he got to see you,” she said. “He always wanted to apologize for something. He said he took what you said and stayed curious. That’s his...was his motto…” 

“He stopped trying to understand Time. He made it his life’s goal to educate people on the beauty of Space and science, and help them see that Time is something we have to let go,” Penny said. 

“That’s kind of what he was already thinking when we met him,” the Doctor said, and Angela just sighed. 

“Well, when I met him it was a few years after that. He had stopped trying to access it. He understood there are secrets in the universe, and that’s not for us to know,” she whispered. 

The Doctor and Rose both felt their stomach’s flip, and they looked at each other for a moment. 

“What did you just say?” Rose said. 

“Secrets in the universe, what’s that mean?” the Doctor asked, and Angela just shook her head. 

“It's just how he described time,” she said. 

The Doctor felt the wheels in his head turn and Rose just stared at them. She looked at her husband, who seemed to have forgotten they were women in mourning when he started a line of questioning, his voice calculated.. “How’d you get the Satellite?” 

“What?” Angela asked. 

“You said he was giving up on accessing time, but that Satellite had a portal that took us all there. There was a Vortex Manipulator, all of that connects to time, so clearly he -” 

Rose ran a hand over his arm, shaking her head. He just gave her a flustered look and they talked with their eyes and then in their minds, looking back over to see Angela completely breaking down again, and the Doctor sighed. 

_They’re valid questions, Rose._

_I know. But they’re dealing with a lot. We can’t push._

_It’ll be easier to just -_

_Doctor._

He clenched his jaw and looked back at Angela and Penny who were holding each other’s hands for dear life, and he swallowed. “We’ll take you home now,” he said. 

They said goodbye ten minutes later, suddenly finding themselves in Cambridge in 1989. Neither the Doctor or Rose stepped off the TARDIS, they were feeling a lot of different things and they just wanted to make sure Angela and Penny got inside alright, and they waved to them from a distance, closing the door to the TARDIS and immediately wrapping each other into a hug. 

His Christmas scent wrapped around her just as her sweet honey filled his lungs, and neither said anything. They stayed on the street corner outside of Angela’s flat for about five minutes, embracing, until Rose pulled away and let out a breath, walking to the console and bringing them to the Vortex. He walked up next to her, not quite sure where to begin, and he grabbed her hand. 

“Can I do an exam?” he asked. She just sighed. 

“Doctor, I’m fine. I wasn’t hit or - “ she said, and he just looked at her. 

“Not for that reason, love,” he whispered, and her eyes danced with his, realizing he wanted some joy. She held his hand and walked with him to the Infirmary, hopping up on the table as he got the scanner ready, hooking it up to the monitor and hovering above her skin. They both smiled. 

“Our little peach,” he said, and she felt her heart flutter for a moment looking at the screen, clearly able to see their head and fingers and toes, and she suddenly started to cry. 

She wasn’t sure what triggered it, Patrick was just a person they had met once and it had been a complicated meeting to say the least, but the tears wouldn’t stop. He wrapped her in a hug, kissing her forehead, when she suddenly put the pieces together and she just shook her head. 

“He’s the reason we have them,” she said. The Doctor gave her a look, his eyebrow raised. 

“Something you want to tell me?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood. Rose just smiled a little and cupped a hand to his cheek. 

“He gave us the cube,” she said. “That night…” 

“I know,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I know.” 

Rose wiped her eyes and let out a breath, and they just looked at each other, trying to figure out where to begin, their minds swirling in thoughts. 

“Least we have some leads, maybe. Think it’s safe to assume Patrick and Mr. Townes are related?” he murmured, and she just sighed. 

“He wanted to show us something. We should go back. Investigate before the police clear the Satellite,” she whispered. 

“Oh, well…” the Doctor said, sniffing. “I may have turned the teleports off when they wheeled him out so they couldn’t back in. We can do that whenever we want to.” 

She smiled, pulling out of the hug and looking at him. “Brilliant.” 

“Thank you,” he said, smiling at her. “You’re tired. We can go later. Bring Donna and Martha maybe. They’re good at being nosy and finding things.” 

“Okay,” Rose said, laughing a little, and he just kissed her forehead. “I miss them.”

“Me too,” he murmured. She gave him a small look, linking their hands together. Unspoken words lingered in the air, both not quite knowing how to begin to dissect the rest of the day, and she laid back on the bed, her hand on her belly. 

“They had a hood. Like the wolves,” she whispered. The Doctor sighed. 

“I thought that, too,” he said. She just shook her head. 

“It’s a hundred years later….” she murmured. “What if this is still going on? Even in 2010? Farther in the future? What if -” 

“Shhhh,” he said, rubbing her head with his hand. “Then we’ll deal with it. A wise woman always tells me to not get ahead of myself or let my fear guide me.” 

“She does, does she?” Rose said, smiling a little at him. He just nodded. 

“She’s pretty much right about everything, so…” he said, and Rose just laughed. 

“She thinks we’re having a girl,” she said. “5 quid?” 

“I’m not betting on that,” he said, and she just raised an eyebrow at him. 

“10 quid?” she whispered, and he just shook his head. 

“No, I just...I don’t want to bet on that,” he said. “I’m happy either way. They could be a powderfish and I’d be thrilled.” 

“They wouldn’t need those swimming lessons if that was the case,” she said, and he laughed, her wit always amazing him. 

“Come here,” he said, pulling her into a kiss. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” she said, and he kissed her again, his hand on her belly, but it slowly moved up her waist, resting just under her breasts on her ribs, and she sat up. He stood, her legs on either side of his waist as he pulled her as close as she could be at this angle, never breaking the kiss, and she popped the buttons on his cream colored suit, sliding it off of his arms. 

“Come take a bath with me,” she whispered, and he nodded, undoing his shirt buttons as he followed her to their ensuite, throwing his clothes in the hamper in their room he knew the TARDIS would take care of, and she started the water, sitting on the edge of gold tub completely naked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The tub was filling with water slowly, steam rising off of it and looking incredibly inviting, and he stepped in first, wrapping his arms around her as the water stopped and rippled, and they just rested against each other. He kissed her temple, and she leaned against him. 

“It was rather impressive, overall,” he murmured. “The Satellite.” 

“Yeah, it was sweet,” Rose whispered. “You could tell he set it up for kids.” 

“I just don’t…” he said, breaking off and sighing. “He didn’t stop playing with Time.” 

“He didn’t make the diamonds, Doctor,” she whispered. “He was born in the ‘40s.” 

The Doctor didn’t say anything, and he clenched his jaw. “We can’t rule anything out. We still, somehow, don’t know anything.” 

“Instincts,” she whispered. “I don’t think it was him.” 

He rubbed her arms in the water, kissing her shoulder, and she sank down further until the water went above her chest, and they looked at each other, deducting. 

“Hey, beautiful,” he murmured, and she smiled at him, sitting back up and running her hand through his hair.

“Hi, handsome,” she whispered, and he kissed her again, slowly. It was sensual and their tongues began to circle, and he moaned a little against her mouth. The water rippled more as she shifted to face him fully, and she smiled, nibbling on his lip, and straddling him, sliding her body onto his. He made a noise and watched her. 

“That’s counter-productive, isn’t it?” he murmured, and she just gave him a saucy smile. 

“In what way?” she asked, her breath a little heavy, and he kissed her neck. 

“Well, baths are for getting clean,” he said against her skin, and she hummed, her hands still in his hair. 

“You calling me dirty?” she asked, and he just brushed her hair off her face, kissing her fiercely. She broke, panting, and when she spoke next, it was seductive and flirtatious, and it made his breath hitch in his throat. “Whatever gave you that idea? That I’m naked?” 

“You need to do that to take a bath, too,” he said, flirting back. She bit her lip. 

“Right, of course,” she said. “Must be that you’re inside of me then.” 

She started to move, and he smiled at her, gripping her back. 

“Yeah, that might have something to do with it,” he whispered. “Except…” 

He groaned as she rocked against him, the water forming more waves than ripples now, and he started to move with her, making her say his name. 

“What?” she whispered, and he flashed her his most seductive smile. 

“Well, I’m pretty dirty too, then,” he said. She smiled and they stopped talking as their minds connected, almost as intensely as it had earlier, and they both cried out. 

The tub was large, and they were able to move with abandon, water splashing on the floor and she gripped the edge, using it as leverage as they swayed and rocked. It wasn’t as sweaty as they knew it could be, and it only lasted a few minutes, but they cursed in Gallifreyan and held onto each other, and when they came back down and the room came back to them, they noticed more than half the water was on the floor, drenching the rug and towels, and they started laughing. 

“You…” he said, shaking his head at her, and she just smiled. 

“Gotta take advantage of all that gymnastic training before my stomach is so round I can’t see my feet,” she said, and he laughed. 

“No arguments from me,” he said, kissing her. They looked at each other, before Rose eventually stepped out of the tub and switched to the shower, and they both managed to get clean despite being a little dirty. 

They ate a late dinner, the Doctor worried about her nutrients for the day, and he didn’t sleep. He was back in the lab, looking over the time signature in the diamond as Rose tried to stay awake with him, but exhaustion got the best of her, and she fell asleep in his swivel chair with her head on her arms resting on the table. He sighed when he saw her, and he carefully picked her up and carried her to bed. She was usually a heavy sleeper, and pregnancy, so far, had only amplified that for her, so long as he wasn't thinking too hard. 

He knew she’d wake up for him. 

“Night, love,” he said, and he rubbed a hand over his face, clenching his jaw for a moment. 

His mind was swimming, trying to remember all the small pieces of information they had so far and figure out the thing that he couldn’t see, but he still felt was staring at him in the face. He closed his eyes, leaning against the dresser, stopping after a few moments, sensing she was about to stir. He cleared his throat, moving to sit next to her, and he brushed his hand across her belly. 

“Hello,” he said. “I hope you had a good day. Ours was...well, it was….” 

He sighed, brushing his thumb in its usual spot, and he clicked his jaw.

“Your mum and I...we lead sort of crazy lives,” he whispered. “But I promise you….I swear, that we will always keep you safe. Okay? I give you my word. I don’t ever want you to be afraid. We will always be there.” 

He kissed her stomach, and he let his head fall a little, letting out a breath. 

He might be a little triggered tonight, he was realizing. Panicking, just a little. Death tended to do that to him. 

“I…” he said, and he rubbed his hand over his face. “I love you. Both of you.” 

The desire to keep them safe was like a fire, all consuming, and it stayed that way as he slid next to her, wrapping his arm around her, until he fell into a dreamless sleep. 

He preferred it that way, sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! To all who have subscribed, left kudos, commented and read - I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am writing it. These two make me quite happy, and my goal with these "Forever With You" stories is to make their love the center and the problems are what happen around them, so stay tuned for more :)
> 
> Next one will be more fluffy because I feel like it hahaha


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